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Alcohol-Free Week 2012 - Will you take on the Alcohol-Free Challenge?

2012-02-17T13:27:00.000Z

Will you take on the Alcohol-Free Challenge?

Alcohol-Free Week 22 February – 28 February 2012 - http://www.alcoholfreeweek.co.uk/

Alcohol-Free Week 2012 runs from 22 February to 28 February. During this week it is hoped people will be persuaded to abstain from alcohol for all or part of the week.

The aim is to make people more conscious of their drinking habits and help them see how big a role alcohol plays in their lives and how easy, or difficult, it is to do without.

A website has been set up at http://www.alcoholfreeweek.co.uk/ to help those taking up the Alcohol-Free Week challenge. The website offers tips on drinking wisely, suggestions on alternatives to drinking alcohol and a chance to win alcohol-free drinks every day during Alcohol-Free Week.

Alcohol-Free Week has been running since 2007. Each year businesses, local authorities, health trusts, health promotion agencies and educational institutions have held their own events to mark Alcohol-Free Week.

Organisations getting involved in Alcohol-Free Week include the health and social care service Turning Point which has a series of activities planned.

Alcohol-Free Week is sponsored by de-alcoholised and non-alcoholic drinks producers and is backed by the charity FAS Aware UK that promotes alcohol awareness in pregnancy.

The event is organised by the country's leading online alcohol-free drinks specialist retailers The Alcohol-Free Shop and the Lono Drinks Co.

Christine Risby from The Alcohol-Free Shop said: “We are encouraging people to give up alcohol for a weekend or the whole week. Health experts advise that we should have at least two alcohol-free days a week. We hope Alcohol-Free Week will inspire people to look honestly at the amount they drink and adopt a healthier lifestyle.”

Studies by the Cancer Research charity have found that consuming even moderate amounts of alcohol every day increases the risk of some cancers by 10% and, health experts warn, can cause serious liver damage.

British intelligence makes smartphones smarter.

2012-02-16T13:14:00.000Z

Gripsta is a quirky desk top phone holder that works in lots of different ways with all leading smartphone brands. "This vividly coloured foam gadget may not embody the latest cutting edge nano-technology, but nonetheless it’s pretty darn useful."

“This is far from being just a gimmick,” insists Cat Stables, the firm’s marketing manager. “It holds your phone upright on your desk or bedside table, you can angle it in either portrait or landscape, you can tuck it under your ear, and it makes texting a whole lot easier.”

“Our users are reporting that while indoors they never have their phones out of their Gripstas.”

Gripsta comes from the specialist foam company Urofoam Ltd – who design and make products ranging from components for Koenigsegg Sports cars, bits for high tech lightweight robots, to ear plugs for horses (really!)

Attractively priced for under £10 the Gripsta can be bought direct from the website www.gripsta.co.uk and from a range of resellers including Amazon. Corporate clients can have them printed with their logos for promotional campaigns.

Two tasty food festivals confirmed for D&G this year

2012-02-09T13:14:00.000Z

Dumfries & Galloway in south west Scotland is set to become a popular destination for foodies during 2012 with two major food festivals bookending the summer.

Flavour Taster, 4th – 7th May, is a brand new bite sized foodie experience festival that builds on the success of Flavour Fortnight, Dumfries & Galloway’s autumn celebration of local and artisan food and drink. Among the Flavour Taster events confirmed so far are Souper Sunday, Dawn Chorus Breakfast, a Brewery Tour, a Harbour Festival, wild food forages and various taster menus highlighting locally produced food. The full programme of event will be released in March.

Flavour Fortnight, 25th August – 9th September returns for a third year, and moves forward a week to include the August Bank Holiday weekend. Last year saw 92 events take place across Dumfries & Galloway, from Langholm in the east to Portpatrick in the west. There was a fascinating range of unique and unusual experiences on offer including a wild food forage around an art gallery, a jazz themed celebration of jam, a Greek mezze made with local food, an opportunity to enjoy the first tilapia harvest from Scotland’s first aquaponics project, a gastronomic quiz event, a menu showcasing Robert Burns’ favourite meals, an opportunity to meet majestic Highland cattle and full day butchery demonstrations. Organisers say they expect over 100 foodie events to take place during Flavour Fortnight 2012.

The introduction of Flavour Taster was triggered after an independent evaluation of Flavour Fortnight stated that organisers had created a ‘nationally important event and a food tourism product from the passion and enthusiasm of the artisan food and drink industry in Dumfries & Galloway.’ Flavour Taster has been developed to build on the success of Flavour Fortnight and to satisfy the growing interest across the UK in local and artisan food and drink.

Liz Ramsay, Project Manager of Savour the Flavours, organisers of the festivals, said:
“These festivals give us an opportunity to put quality local food and drink right at the heart of the tourism experience in Dumfries & Galloway. We have some truly world class products in this region, as well as inspirational people in the industry who are happy to share their passion with visitors to Dumfries & Galloway. The success of Flavour Fortnight in becoming one of Scotland’s biggest food festivals in just two years is a testament to the creativity and the enthusiasm of the industry here. A whole host of artisan food and drink experiences available right across this beautifully scenic region makes Dumfries & Galloway a mouth watering short break destination this year. ”

The Flavour Taster programme of events will be unveiled in March and people who want to register to receive information about Dumfries & Galloway’s food events should visit http://www.flavourfortnight.co.uk/ .

Get Your Teeth Into This – Try Domino’s Boneless Ribs First Via Facebook

2012-02-08T13:24:00.000Z

Domino’s Pizza, the pizza delivery expert, is giving Facebook fans the chance to preview a new side order a week before the national launch.

From Monday February 6, 2012, Domino’s UK Facebook fans can try a portion of delicious new bite-sized spicy Boneless Ribs, served with a BBQ dip, for an exclusive promotional price of just £2.99. Simply log on to Domino’s UK Facebook page and click through to Domino’s ordering site where the Boneless Ribs will automatically be added to the customer’s checkout basket.

Simon Wallis, sales and marketing director at Domino’s Pizza, said: “We’ve now got over 400,000 fans on our UK Facebook page and to thank them for coming back to our page time and again, we wanted to give them a sneak preview of our new Boneless Ribs and enjoy them at a very special price. Our Facebook fans are very knowledgeable when it comes to our menu so we can’t wait to see what they think of this tasty new addition.”

The Boneless Ribs will be available on general sale from Monday February 13, 2012.

Find Domino’s on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DominosPizza

“I’m an employee, get me out of here!” – workers put off by forced team-building

2012-02-06T13:22:00.000Z

- New study suggests majority of British workers think doing more team-building events would be a waste of time

- Eye-popping examples of activities mentioned include 'bush tucker trials', bikini-clad bed-baths and lingerie parties

- Better communication, a supportive atmosphere and tools for flexible working are preferred ways to improve teamwork
___________

We may be a nation of good sports, but most British workers think that doing more company team-building events would not help improve how they work with colleagues. A survey by Vodafone UK and YouGov suggests employees feel that some organised team-building activities can be a waste of time, and at worst, are toe-curlingly awkward.

British workers would much prefer being able to communicate with each other better at work rather than being forced to build rapport with their co-workers by sharing adrenaline experiences or performing 'trust' exercises.

The research among more than 1,000 British employees with colleagues uncovered some eye-popping examples of awkward and silly team-building activities, including enduring bikini-clad ‘bed baths’ and massages from colleagues, holding lingerie parties, and eating crickets as part of a 'bush tucker trial' style event.

While the majority of workers surveyed (66 per cent) have been made to do some form of team-building activity, more than half (54 per cent) don't feel that doing more would help them work better with their colleagues.

“British companies are spending a huge amount of time and effort in building more effective teams,” says Peter Kelly, Enterprise Director at Vodafone UK. “This research confirms that people place more value on open, collaborative and flexible ways of working every day than one-off team-building exercises.”

According to the survey, adrenaline experiences like speed-boating and bungee jumping are considered the least effective team-building activities, followed by trust exercises such as being blindfolded and led by colleagues. Those deemed most effective are social events like going out for a drink or a meal, followed by volunteering and charity work.

Rather than potentially waste money on frivolous team-building exercises, respondents with a negative view of team-building suggest that companies should instead focus on providing a more supportive atmosphere at work, enabling better team communication and offering tools for flexible working as their top three priorities.

“Many genuine team-building activities can be valuable, but ultimately, to achieve better teamwork businesses need to get the basics right first. Employers need to focus on how their employees work day-to-day, and give staff the tools they need to be able to do their job best. Employees also want to be able to work smarter – and that means easy access to customers, colleagues and information wherever they are," continues Peter Kelly.

Respondents are also clear about the negative impacts of not working effectively as a team. The most serious of these were delayed decision-making (named by 31 per cent), unhappy customers through poor response (29 per cent), missing targets because of lack of timely input from colleagues (28 per cent), and making the wrong decisions because of lack of access to the right people and information (28 per cent).

Overall, only 26 per cent of respondents feel that more team-building would help them work more effectively with their colleagues. Whether it’s down to cynicism or wisdom, age seems to engender a more jaded view of team-building exercises: only 10 per cent of people aged 55 and over say they help improve team working, compared with 42 per cent of 18–24 year-olds. People in Scotland seem to be more positive than those south of the border, with 33 per cent of respondents saying that more team-building events would encourage better team working.

Key findings:

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov plc. The total sample size was 2,014 adults, of which 1,059 were workers with colleagues. Fieldwork was undertaken between 20th and 23rd January 2012. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

The key findings are as follows:

· Most workers with colleagues (66 per cent) have ever participated in some form of organised team-building event at work.
· The most common team-building events people have participated in are social activities such as team drinks and dinners (56 per cent) and away days or weekends (24 per cent).
· More than half of all respondents (54 per cent) say that doing more team-building events would not help them work more effectively with colleagues. For this group, the preferred ways of encouraging effective teamwork are a more supportive atmosphere at work (39 per cent), better team communication (37 per cent) and tools for working flexibly (23 per cent).
· Only 26 per cent of respondents feel that doing more team-building events would help them work more effectively with their colleagues. For this group, better team communication was an even more important factor in improving teamwork (cited by 49 per cent of respondents).
· The team-building activities people considered least effective are adrenaline experiences such as speed-boating and bungee jumping (18 per cent) and trust exercises such as being blindfolded and led by colleagues (17 per cent).
· Those deemed most effective are social events (cited by 23 per cent), followed by volunteering and charity work (11 per cent).
· Among people aged 55 and over, only 10 per cent say doing more team-building events would help them work more effectively with colleagues, and 75 per cent saying they would not. By contrast, 42 per cent of 18–24 year-olds say more team-building events would help them work more effectively with colleagues, and 40 per cent say they would not.
· Wales is the region with the most negative view of how effective team-building events are, with 71 per cent of workers saying they would not contribute to better teamwork.

Vodafone Deploys DriveSafe – World’s First All-Phones Solution to Text-and-Drive Risks

2012-02-02T13:24:00.000Z

In a growing number of countries, texting whilst driving is illegal and increases the chances of a crash even more than alcohol.*

Now, SMS services and infrastructure vendor Telsis is first in the world with an all-phones service, DriveSafe, that can lessen the temptation many people feel to text while they are behind the wheel.

While the phone user concentrates on driving safely, DriveSafe automatically replies to any text messages with a short operator-branded reply such as ‘I’m driving at the moment. I’ll read your text as soon as it is safe to do so.’

DriveSafe went live in a network for the first time this week, available free of charge to Vodafone New Zealand’s 2.5m customers in time for the February long weekend holiday when hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders take to the roads.

Vodafone’s director of sales Grant Hopkins says DriveSafe is aimed at helping New Zealanders use their mobiles safely. “Vodafone DriveSafe is designed to take the pressure off when you’re driving and you get a TXT message. It lets the sender know that you can’t reply immediately, without you needing to take your eye off the road. We’re pleased to be able to bring innovations like this to New Zealand and hope it will help drivers think carefully about their actions to reduce the road toll.”

New Zealand Automobile Association motoring affairs general manager Mike Noon welcomes the introduction of Vodafone DriveSafe. “One of the worst things about texting and driving is that drivers know they shouldn’t do it but in many cases just can’t seem to stop themselves when they hear a message arrive.

“Vodafone DriveSafe is a simple tool that can help drivers to leave the phone alone. The driver can relax knowing the person who texted them has been sent a reply and, as a bonus, it is spreading the message that texting and driving are a potentially lethal mix. Any distraction is dangerous when driving but texting is especially bad because not only is your mind focusing on the message but your eyes are off the road and at least one of your hands isn’t on the wheel either.”

The launch has been endorsed by the New Zealand Transport Agency. "Texting while driving became illegal two years ago but it remains a significant and unwelcome cause of too many crashes, so it's great to see Vodafone's initiative giving people another option to make a safe choice when they are travelling," says the NZTA's chief executive, Geoff Dangerfield.

"The NZTA encourages all Vodafone customers to subscribe to DriveSafe and to use it. But we hope this sort of innovation does not stop with one company. Telecommunications has a huge base of customers who use texting to stay in touch. Expanding an innovation similar to DriveSafe can only have a positive impact on safer journeys for all of us."

Using Telsis’ innovative SMS technology, DriveSafe is a network service, not a handset app, so it works for any type or age of phone. It requires no downloads or configuration by users, and is simply “always there” for every customer of any mobile network that deploys it. DriveSafe is enabled simply by texting a short command such as ‘drive on’ to a short code, and turned off by sending ‘drive off’.

Jeff Wilson, Telsis CEO and founder said: “Studies around the world show just how widespread the problem of texting while driving is and how seriously it affects the reaction times of people who persist in doing it. DriveSafe makes it easier for people to avoid the temptation to text and drive. We predict that operators deploying DriveSafe will be applauded by motoring organisations and governments for exercising their social responsibility, and for making it easier for phone users, and other road users, to stay safe.”

Telsis DriveSafe is designed to be quick and easy for mobile operators to install. It works alongside messaging network infrastructure and requires no integration with billing or provisioning systems. Operators will benefit from being able to brand automated DriveSafe responses, and by the service attracting customers from rival networks.

Telsis has delivered service innovations to tier 1 networks globally for almost a quarter of a century. The company’s solutions enable operators to generate more revenue, strengthen their brands, recruit and retain more customers, drive up Net Promoter Scores and increase profitability.

Telsis’ portfolio of services is backed by proven engineering skills, system integration expertise, and a deep understanding of human factors, all of which combine in solutions that enable operators to offer customers exciting and practical services with compelling real-world appeal.

Flowers Remain Leading Valentine's Day Gift Reports DiscountVouchers.co.uk Research

2012-02-02T13:22:00.000Z

The latest user survey conducted by dedicated money-saving website DiscountVouchers.co.uk has this week revealed that the majority of Brits still rate the top Valentine’s Day gift to be flowers.

DiscountVouchers.co.uk regularly surveys its site users and this week reveals that the leading Valentine's Day gift is flowers, with 40% of respondents picking this. Next in the poll results was jewellery with 34% while the poll also showed that 9% of people prefer not to give any gift at all Valentine's Day.

The top ten Valentine’s Day presents uncovered by the voucher codes website poll were: 1. Flowers. 2. Jewellery. 3. Nothing. 4. Chocolates. 5. Champagne. 6. Lingerie. 7. Teddy bear. 8. Simple card. 9. Perfume. 10. CD.

New Vouchers for Argos, Amazon and eBay Sourced by DiscountVouchers.co.uk

2012-01-31T13:23:00.000Z

Leading outlets on show with savings thanks to consumer voucher codes site

30 January 2012 – Internet retail deals website DiscountVouchers.co.uk has announced new deals to help people get more for their money right now with new codes redeemable top stores. Argos, Amazon and eBay can be saved at this February thanks to the site, which offers deals for saving money at over 800 top name retailers.

Getting hold of leading brand electrical products and laptops can be done without breaking the bank this month thanks to the new DiscountVouchers.co.uk deals. Consumers can have the chance to save through new Argos voucher codes which are offering deals like save £120 on Dyson vacuum cleaners and save £100 on the HP Pavilion G6 laptop from Argos.co.uk.

DiscountVouchers.co.uk is also offering people a range of new Amazon vouchers to help them save on the latest books, Kindles and more right now. Items for all the family can be had with savings through new deals such as a new Kindle just £89 and up to 70% off January deals.

UK shoppers who like to treat themselves to some new fashions from leading brands and labels can look forward to savings thanks to the new DiscountVouchers.co.uk deals. The site is right now home to new eBay outlet vouchers offering massive savings on great brands from eBay Fashion Outlet and brand new games consoles at amazing prices.

Doug Scott, managing director of DiscountVouchers.co.uk, commented, “It's never a bad time to save on top brand items for all the family, and so we're delighted to be able to help people make more of their budgets right now. We like to help people working to tight budgets save by updating all of the deals on our website at all times from all the top on and offline retailers around.”

DiscountVouchers.co.uk offers consumers money saving deals at major high street brands and specialist retailers, including stores like Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Travelodge, First Choice, lastminute.com and Boden.

Eurostar offers winter breaks for less

2012-01-31T13:18:00.000Z

Eurostar, the high-speed rail service between the UK and mainland Europe, is offering special, limited prices for Standard and Standard Premier travel to Paris, Brussels or Lille until March 29th.

With plenty of the special return Standard class fares available for midweek travel, this is the perfect time for Eurostar customers to book a reviving day trip or a relaxing long weekend. Travellers can also treat themselves to a more luxurious journey for less as Eurostar is also offering special Standard Premier return fares for travel during the same period.

When passengers arrive in their chosen destination their Eurostar ticket gives them much more than travel alone, with a range of enticing 'Eurostar Plus' offers and discounts.

'Eurostar Plus Culture' offers travellers 2-for-1 entry into paying exhibitions at selected top museums and galleries in Paris, Brussels and Lille, simply by showing their Eurostar ticket. So, whether they're visiting the Grand Palais, Galeries Nationales in Paris or the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, there's plenty to keep them entertained over the coming months.

'Eurostar Plus Gourmet' offers also give passengers up to 50% discounts on meals at popular restaurants in Paris, Brussels and Lille, by booking their table via www.eurostarplus.co.uk/gourmet and presenting their Eurostar ticket at the restaurant on arrival.

Nick Mercer, Commercial Director for Eurostar said: "Many of our travellers like to travel midweek as our destinations and their tourist attractions tend to be less busy. These discounted fares give everyone the perfect excuse to treat themselves to a getaway for less. After all, with special fares to Paris, Brussels or Lille and exclusive offers for museums, restaurants and shopping when you're there, this is an offer not to be missed."

For more information about the new promotional fares, Eurostar Plus, or to book cheap Eurostar tickets or purchase Eurostar gift vouchers, customers can visit eurostar.com or call 08432 186 186.

Comparing mobile phone deals just got easier with new site launch

2012-01-30T13:08:00.000Z

Mobilesplease is delighted to announce the launch of its new website today. Now comparing over one million mobile phone deals on a daily basis, Mobilesplease.co.uk is the ideal starting point for finding the best handset and contract combinations on the market.

The mobile phone market has really opened up over the last two years, with the range and quality of handset increasing and competition between manufacturers becoming more intense. While Apple’s iPhone innovations continue to place it at the forefront of the market, vast improvements to the Android Operating System has meant the likes of Samsung and HTC handsets are now realistic competitors to its throne.

This increase in competition produces a huge amount of choice for consumers, both in terms of a handset and network. “The mobile phone market can be quite confusing, even for savvy, technical people” said Damian Carvill, who runs Mobilesplease.co.uk. “With numerous features, tariffs and eight major networks to select from, at any one time, there can be more than one million different combinations. The update of the Mobilesplease website enables people to cut through these combinations and quickly compare mobile phones to find the deal that perfectly suits them, their wallet and their aspirations” he concluded.

Winter Dining Out on a Budget with New DiscountVouchers.co.uk Restaurant Deals

2012-01-27T13:18:00.002Z

Consumers able to save at Prezzo, Harvester and La Tasca thanks to voucher codes website

26 January 2012 – DiscountVouchers.co.uk, the website which helps consumers save at more than 800 stores and suppliers, has sourced new deals to get people great value dining out throughout January and February. The website has sourced new offers to help diners enjoy eating out at top restaurants Harvester, La Tasca and Prezzo.

Italian restaurant chain Prezzo is among the most popular diners around for couples and groups alike, serving up great quality pasta and pizza throughout the country. This January and February consumers can log on to DiscountVouchers.co.uk and get new Prezzo vouchers offering the Special £10 Menu - Only at Prezzo Kingston - One Starter Or One Dessert, One Main Course & A Drink. The site has also sourced a printable voucher for two mains for £12.95 at all Prezzo branches.

La Tasca is another of the country's favourite eateries to feature in the new winter dining deals on show on DiscountVouchers.co.uk right now, with new La Tasca vouchers offering buy one, get one free on tapas to share. La Tasca has branches throughout the UK and offers great quality tapas, paella and other classic Spanish dishes.

Fans of big meals and great value can also save this winter thanks to other money-saving deals available on the DiscountVouchers.co.uk website this week. Consumers can log on and access the latest Harvester vouchers to get themselves savings in the shape of the Early Bird only £4.99 and 2 takeaway meals from £10.

Doug Scott, managing director of DiscountVouchers.co.uk, says, “We keep our eyes peeled for the very latest and best ways to help our users save, and this January and February we can help people eat out for less. Great value meal deals at Prezzo, Harvester and La Tasca are ideal for helping people enjoy great value for money dining this winter."

DiscountVouchers.co.uk offers consumers money saving deals at major high street brands and specialist retailers, including stores like Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Travelodge, First Choice, lastminute.com and Boden.

Stream Communications launches ‘freeflow’

2012-01-26T13:12:00.001Z

Nigel Chadwick, founding Director of Stream Communications said: “Users of iPads and Android tablet PCs, particularly business users and entrepreneurs, value the reliability, knowing that they will be connected wherever they are, and that faster download will enable them to focus on their core business whilst on the move. Consumer 3G services rarely deliver this level of reliability, but Stream’s freeflow service can – our customers benefit from a vastly improved experience both in terms of speed and connection up-time.”

“Stream’s bespoke infrastructure enables tablet users to improve download times vastly – in many cases being up to 50% faster. freeflow reduces the frustration felt, particularly by business users, who want to be connected more consistently but frequently experience issues around 3G connectivity and download speed. Stream’s unique advanced network management and infrastructure means minimised downtime and significantly faster downloads. Customers trialling the service liken freeflow to using WiFi not 3G.”

Illiteracy costs the UK economy £81 billion annually

2012-01-25T13:03:00.000Z

The estimated cost of illiteracy to the UK economy is £81.312 billion each year, according to a preliminary report just released by the World Literacy Foundation, http://www.worldliteracyfoundation.org/.

The interim report titled “The Economic & Social Cost of Illiteracy” provides a snapshot of illiteracy, its causes and consequences in the UK. (The final report will be released at the World Literacy Summit in Oxford in April.)

The report highlights the statistic that at least 6 million adults in the UK are functionally illiterate. This means one in five adults struggle with illiteracy.

The report says the direct economic cost is in the individuals and businesses which lose about £58 billion through lower wages or business earnings due to poor literacy.

In addition, this does not include the opportunity cost of individual wealth creation or entrepreneurship lost because a significant proportion of the population struggle to read and write.

The report says the social cost is represented in the £23.312 billion spent on welfare and unemployment benefits and social programmes related to health, crime and poverty.

Also the report says an illiterate adult will earn an income at least 30% less than a literate person.

World Literacy Foundation CEO Andrew Kay called for a greater level of action from the UK Government to address the literacy crisis:

“The issue of illiteracy affects over six million people in the UK and almost 800 million worldwide,” he said.

“One of the best things we can do to stamp out poverty in the world is to improve literacy. This is the key to getting people into jobs, increasing their income and enabling them to take part in society.”

Mr Kay said the Foundation was also convening the inaugural World Literacy Summit in Oxford running from 1-4 April 2012, where the final report will be released.

“This is the first time ever a conference has been dedicated to addressing the problem of world literacy and its link to poverty,” he said.

“Leaders and experts from the literacy community in the UK and around the world will attend this conference to build a collective plan of action to make inroads into wiping out illiteracy.”

World Literacy Summit Committee Chairman Dr Anthony Cree said literacy is vital for the economic success and community prosperity of the UK.

“The UK is missing out on an injection of funds into its economy worth billions of dollars,” he said.

He said it was obvious from the report that low levels of literacy can be a predictor of poverty, unemployment, poor health and crime.

“If a person does not have the solid base of literacy and numeracy skills that so many of us take for granted, their opportunities in life are more limited.

“Many higher-paying job and training opportunities are closed to them, they are more likely to turn to a life of crime.

“They make poor decisions about their health due to the inability to read and understand health messages and information.

“In addition, the children of illiterate people are also more likely to be illiterate and follow this same vicious cycle of poverty and disadvantage.”

Domino’s Launches Meal Deal Wizard - An online tool to help deliver the best possible deal on pizza orders

2012-01-24T13:22:00.002Z

Domino’s Pizza, the pizza delivery expert, has launched a new Meal Deal Wizard to enable customers to get the best possible deal when ordering online. The tool automatically searches all of Domino’s offers and suggests meal deals based on the customer’s order basket.
To access the Meal Deal Wizard, customers simply need to visit http://www.dominos.co.uk/, add the items they’d like to order to their basket and then proceed to the check out. At the check out screen, customers click on the Meal Deal Wizard button and it will show the best available deal for their order and the savings that can be made. Customers can then chose their preferred deal at the touch of a button and confirm their order.

To find out more or to try the Meal Deal Wizard, log onto http://www.dominos.co.uk/.

Eurozone crisis still far from a solution but...

2012-01-24T13:15:00.000Z

Eurozone crisis still far from a solution but ECB funding eases pressure on banks and sovereigns; US economic growth raised to 1.8% in 2012, up from 1.3% according to the EIU’s latest global forecast

For immediate release

Eurozone crisis still far from a solution but ECB funding eases pressure on banks and sovereigns;
US economic growth raised to 1.8% in 2012, up from 1.3% according to the EIU’s latest global forecast

• The Economist Intelligence Unit expects world GDP to grow by 3.1% at purchasing-power parity in 2012. This marks a considerable slowdown from 2010 and 2011, and by some definitions would put the global economy perilously close to another recession. However, growth would need to weaken to about 2% to qualify as a recession.

• The Economist Intelligence Unit retains its 40% probability of a euro break-up occurring within the next two years. Even if policymakers ultimately do enough to save the euro, which is still the Economist Intelligence Unit’s core assumption, the process won’t be quick or painless.

• The Economist Intelligence Unit has raised its US GDP growth forecast for 2012 to 1.8%, from 1.3% previously, to reflect the improvement in current conditions. However, the US cannot fully escape the drag that the euro zone’s recession will create. Moreover, households still have a long way to go with deleveraging, which will make it difficult to sustain more rapid economic growth.

• The Economist Intelligence Unit forecasts Japan to grow by 2% this year after largely overcoming the disruption to supply chains that crippled its economy in the wake of the natural disaster in March 2011.

• Despite a slight downgrade to our forecast for Chinese GDP growth, the Economist Intelligence Unit does not expect a hard landing by the region’s main economic engine. Economic growth in globally integrated Asia and Australasia (ex Japan) is set to slow from 6.5% in 2011 to 6.1% this year, although the region will remain the world’s fastest-growing. Instead, the most worrying signs are emanating from India, which the Economist Intelligence Unit expects to expand by just 6.3% in 2012.

• The Economist Intelligence Unit has raised its forecast for the average 2012 price of dated Brent crude oil to US$100/barrel from US$95/b. Oil consumption will increase in 2012 in tandem with the upward revision to the EIU’s US GDP forecast and signs that China's economy will avoid a hard landing.

Global Economic Forecast, February 2012 is available at http://gfs.eiu.com/

Step Away From the Teddy Bear:The Essential Guide to Valentine’s Day Gift Buying

2012-01-24T13:13:00.000Z

It is a sad but true fact that Valentine’s Day can turn even the best gift-buyer in to a monster . Despite good intentions it’s easy to get bamboozled by the barrage of love hearts and cherubs tempting us to buy such horrors as novelty lingerie, service station flowers and oversized teddy bears!

However, with the return of the recession, retail studies are showing a clear shift in our gifting practices and it appears that more shoppers are shunning Valentine’s Day novelty presents and giving practical and stylish gifts that their significant other will not only like, but cherish.

So how to go about sifting through the plethora of Valentine-themed items in the shops to make sure that you find the perfect gift for that special someone?

Amanda Wright, founder of online clothing boutique Hunter Dunn, says: “With people tightening the purse strings they are far less likely to treat themselves, so gifts such as cashmere knitwear or silk scarves are a fantastic way to show you care on Valentines Day.”

Still unsure? Follow our guide to buying the perfect gift from http://www.hunterdunn.co.uk/!

For Those with a Passion for Fashion
Combine romance and style with a ‘Botanical’ necklace from London-based jewellers Comfort Station. Each necklace contains laser cut slices from an antique botanical book, making this the perfect unique gift for your one-and-only! (http://www.hunterdunn.co.uk/botanical-book-pendant-p-156.html)

RRP £197.00

For the Classic and Cosy
Your special lady can channel Riviera Chic all year round with this classic nautical jumper from renowned knitwear designer John Smedley, made from beautiful extra-fine New Zealand Merino Wool, this ticks boxes for being both practical and luxurious. (Carey indigo/white stripe sweater pictured) (http://www.hunterdunn.co.uk/carey-indigowhite-stripe-sweater-p-171.html)

RRP £130.00

For the Simply Stylish
The lady in your life can add a dash of classic style to any outfit with a Weston scarf.
Prize-winning architect and landscape designer, Richard Weston creates unique pieces inspired by the forms, patterns and colours found in nature. This luxurious collection of silk satin scarves are digitally printed from his unique mineral, stone and fossil collection (Fluorite design pictured) (http://www.hunterdunn.co.uk/scarves-c-101_108.html)

RRP £147.50

For the Man in Your Life
Let’s hear it for the boys! Treat the man in your life to a luxurious 100% Merino Wool jumper from renowned knitwear designer John Smedley. (Beetroot Hunter Round Neck Sweater pictured) (http://www.hunterdunn.co.uk/beetroot-hunter-round-neck-sweater-p-201.html)

RRP £95.00

For The Woman Who Has Everything
Treat her to a beautiful iPad sleeve from Vogue-featured designer Mimi Berry. Made from Raspberry Italian hard leather and designed to fit both iPad 1 and 2, this is the one item that the woman who has everything simply cannot live without. (http://www.hunterdunn.co.uk/raspberry-ipad-cover-p-291.html)
RRP £120.00

All items detailed above can be found at online boutique Hunter Dunn – visit http://www.hunterdunn.co.uk/.

Squash My Car App for iPhone & Android launches

2012-01-23T13:24:00.000Z

No vehicle is safe: from Clarkson’s Mercedes to Jay Kay’s Porsche collection

See your wheels in a whole new light with Squash My Car for iPhone and Android
Pimp your ride into miniature and show the world on twitter using #squashmycar

Petrolheads, big kids and toy car fans will love the new 69p Squash My Car app for iPhone and Android devices, released on 23rd January 2012.

The brainchild of Stephen Holmes and Chris Kessling, childhood friends and avowed pistonheads, it’s a quirky app that takes a picture of any real life car and transforms it into a squashed, toy racer version.

The images will raise a laugh amongst car owners and car fans, who will recognise the distinctive features of their motor compressed into a toy car format. The app makes it easy to share the pictures using email, picture messages, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites.

No vehicle is safe: from Clarkson’s Mercedes to Jay Kay’s Porsche collection, celebrities can see their prestige cars squashed down to size. Ordinary family cars take on a whole new personality with a pint-sized Squash My Car restyle. Minimise your Mini, shrink your Subaru, condense your Chrysler or abridge your Aston Martin – the app works for any make, model or vintage.

The app uses complex photo manipulation tools to alter the original photo of any car. The joy of the resulting images is that they retain their distinguishing features and are recognisable as the original car… from a whole new perspective.

The app has been brought to life by Speeding Hippo and developed by Masters Allen, a Leicestershire-based creative design and marketing agency. “We’re genuinely proud of Squash My Car because it uses some very advanced photo manipulation techniques,” says Aidan Rooney of Masters Allen who managed the technical development. “But primarily, we’re launching it as a little piece of entertainment for car fans of all ages. It’s easy to use – just snap a picture or select one from your photo library and press a button to let Squash My Car work its magic.”

“We’re looking forward to seeing the pictures that app users come up with,” Chris Kessling adds. They hope to bring some fun to the Twitter community by launching a #squashmycar hashtag so everyone can share their best shots – whether of their own car or a most loved or hated celebrity vehicle or classic marque. Or add your picture to the app’s Facebook page and get access to exclusive updates and giveaways.

Watch the video on Youtube to see what you can do!!

For the code to download your free copy of the app for iPhone to review, please email;

Rebekah Harriman, Rebekah@rrva.co.uk

The Energy Advice Line saves customer thousands on incorrect gas bill

2012-01-20T14:04:00.001Z

“Fighting against British Gas was useless on my own. I decided to ring the Energy Advice Line

BUSINESS energy users who believe they have been overcharged or issued incorrect bills by their supplier have been urged to contact the Energy Advice Line for free help.

The UK’s leading price comparison and switching service for business confirmed the findings of a report revealing thousands of consumers could be missing out on refunds or compensation because of billing mistakes by suppliers.

The report by consumer organisation Which? showed that the ‘big six’ energy firms received more than four million complaints from customers last year. The most common problems were mistakes on bills and inaccurate meter readings.

It suggested that because many customers failed to pursue their complaints, they were losing out on up to £4 million in compensation.

Julian Morgan, managing director of the Energy Advice Line, the UK’s leading price comparison and switching service for business, said business electricity and business gas customers were in the same position as domestic consumers when it came to billing mistakes.

“Business energy supply companies make mistakes, we know that for a fact, and sometimes these issues go unresolved for so long that customers just get worn down and give up,” Mr Morgan said.

“We help our customers who are switching suppliers resolve these issues by taking them up directly with the utility companies on their behalf. Sometimes because they have dragged on for so long these problems can be difficult to unravel, so having experts on board can help enormously.”

Sally Atherall had given up hope of resolving a dispute with British Gas until she called the Energy Advice Line. One year after she had sold her dog kenneling business, British Gas had sent her a final business energy bill demanding £3,260.

Sally knew the bill was wrong and spent many fruitless, stressful and tearful weeks trying to convince the supplier they had made a mistake. But her complaints were rejected and British Gas insisted that she pay. Sally said they began “pestering” her for the money so much that was too stressed to answer the telephone.

As a last resort, she contacted the Energy Advice Line for help.
“I began to feel helpless, hopeless, tearful and alone,” Sally said. “Fighting against British Gas was useless on my own. I decided to ring the Energy Advice Line one day to try to gather more evidence, as they had arranged my electricity supply for several years.
“What a relief. I told them my story and they offered not only to help me, but to take the case on for me and deal with British Gas on my behalf. They even took time to ring me back to check I was OK as I had sounded upset.

“Eventually, the complaint was brought to the director of customer services for British Gas. They still insisted that I owed them the money and sent me a CD of the voice recordings made when I had telephone them with meter readings in the past.
“A copy of the CD was also sent to the Energy Advice Line. On playing it, they realized that British Gas had used the wrong 'start' reads to create my bill. I do owe British Gas a small amount of extra money but nowhere near £3,260.
“British Gas doesn’t care about their customers and have no idea of the heartache they cause when they get it wrong and refuse to listen. Even now, they have not offered one word of apology.”

The Energy Advice Line has also urged business energy users to check their bills to ensure they are being charged the correct level of VAT.
The VAT on electricity and gas for business energy consumers is normally charged at the standard rate of 20% (correct as at 4 January 2011). However, some firms that meet so-called de minimis requirements are entitled to pay VAT at a rate of only 5%.
To meet the criteria for this lower rate, a business must use no more than 33 kWh per day on average for business electricity and/or less than an average of 5 therms or 145 kWh per day for business gas.
Firms that believe they have been paying too much VAT, or have other billing issues, should contact the Energy Advice Line on 0800 915 1800 or visit http://www.energyadviceline.org.uk/

Mobile VoIP Subscriptions Grow To 29 Million At The End Of 2011

2012-01-20T14:00:00.002Z

Each year it appears that costs continue to rise, whether it be fuel at the pumps or gas and electricity. Therefore consumers here in the UK and across the globe are all looking for new and innovative ways of saving money. The rise of smartphones in fully developed and emerging markets has resulted in new technologies being widely available to the masses, increasing the breadth of offerings available to consumers.

A study by NPD In-Stat has concluded that the number of active mobile Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) subscribers has risen from 9 million users in 2010 to 29 million, at the end of 2011, with the majority of users residing in western Europe. The most significant driving factor is believed to be the increased smartphone penetration across many markets.

A spokesperson from cheap calls provider JustCall stated:

“It's great to see the availability of VoIP increasing for mobile users, across the world. For many years consumers have faced large bills when making long distance calls.”

“We at JustCall are devoted to offering the cheapest international calls from anywhere in the UK, from a land line or mobile phone. With a combination of access numbers and VoIP consumers will no longer face extravagant bills.”

The study predicts around 410 million subscribers to the service by 2015. Combined with revenues associated with mobile VoIP usage increasing to over $4 billion in 2015, will surely encourage network providers and many companies to join the market.

So remember, whenever calling loved ones abroad that there are a number of alternatives such as calling cards, VoIP services, including JustCall who are proud to offer cheap international calling rates through access numbers, to over 500 countries from a UK landline, and over 250 countries from a mobile phone. Starting from as little as 1p from a UK landline and 1p from a mobile phone.

Property Hunting Goes Social With Launch of First Facebook Property App

2012-01-20T13:59:00.001Z

No one ‘likes’ Estate Agents

Property Hunting Goes Social With Launch of First Facebook Property App

• Launch of world’s first ever Facebook app for selling / buying / renting property

• Sell your property with Property Place via Facebook for one off cost of £75 and save over £4000 in agent fees*

• Find and chat to potential roommates on Facebook – for just £35

This week sees the launch of Property Place, the world’s first ever property app on Facebook. Previously in beta, the full version of Property Place officially launches today, complete with over 400,000 properties.

Property Place lets you sell or rent out your property, or find someone to fill your spare room, using the social networking power of Facebook. Cutting out expensive estate and letting agents, Property Place is the cost-effective way to take control of what can be one of the most stressful events in your life.

With almost half the population of the UK now on Facebook (29.9 million), you can reach a huge audience, in minutes. And best of all, it will only cost you £75 to sell, and £35 to let, your home with the added benefit of being able to share the listing with your social network and beyond.

Being on Facebook, the app allows you to arrange viewings through Facebook’s private messaging or check out profiles of potential roommates. You can also create property wish lists to share with friends.

If arranging viewings yourself sounds like too much work, Property Place has partnered with Emoov, the online estate agency, who can handle the logistics and ongoing management for a fee of £295. At a fraction of the cost of an agent, you still save thousands of pounds.

Landlord Jack Eddowes, 25 from Leeds, uses Property Place to let out his Sheffield student properties via Facebook, saving himself the cost of a letting agent. He says, “Typically students spend more time on Facebook than any other website so it makes sense to market my properties with Property Place on Facebook. It’s far more convenient for me and prospective tenants to communicate.”

Chrissie Lightfoot, from Leeds, cashed in on her two bedroom flat in Leeds city centre a few months ago when her job took her further afield. She turned to Property Place, making the ideal flexible arrangement on Facebook to make some extra money by renting out her flat whilst she was away on business.

Sohail Rashid, founder of Property Place, says: “We’re all feeling the pinch and looking at ways to save money – Property Place is the perfect tool for people looking to sell or rent their property without the hefty estate agent fees, saving the average user £4,150.*

“You can upload details of your property in minutes and manage the whole process in one place. With nearly 30 million of us using Facebook in the UK it’s the future of buying and renting property!”

To try Property Place for yourself, go to http://apps.facebook.com/propertyplace/. Property Place is also available to non-users of Facebook at http://www.property-place.net/.

Hotter Shoes reveals smart choices for work wear

2012-01-19T13:32:00.000Z

We're certain that our collection of shoes will take away the misery of painful feet for thousands of workers

Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes has announced the launch of a smart range of comfortable working shoes.

Having discovered that one third of women walk to work in comfy shoes before changing into heels at their desk, Hotter's design team were keen to reveal the footwear brand's latest collection of comfy heels and smart flats which really are perfect for everyday work wear.

"We're certain that our collection of shoes will take away the misery of painful feet for thousands of workers," commented Range Director Paul Sayers. "Each pair of shoes we create incorporates soft padding, supportive, cushioned soles and soft leather uppers."

Smart heels for uniforms and office wear are designed to incorporate the latest fashion trends ensuring that women can look as good as they feel. This season's highlights in comfortable work shoes include vintage styling for the comfortable shoe Valetta, the introduction of fashionable fringing on heeled pump Allegra and eye-catching buckle detail on smart Darcey.

Traditional shades are the mainstay of the collection of work shoes but, as ever, Hotter injects interest through a clever use of materials and subtle colours with patent, patent croc and metallic highlights.

"It's not only office workers looking for comfortable heels and smart flats who will find Hotter shoes an essential addition to their work wardrobe," continued Paul. "Most of our shoes have lightweight soles filled with millions of shock-absorbing air bubbles, so our more casual comfort styles are the perfect accessory for teachers, nurses, health professionals, shop workers, in fact, anyone who is on their feet all day.

"The design team scrupulously examines each pair of shoes they create to see where comfort features can be hidden: it could be gentle elastication to help the shoe hug the foot, smooth internal seams to prevent rubbing or a hidden zip to the inside of a boot to make it easier to put on or take off."

Hotter women's shoes range from sizes 3 to 9 with some half sizes, extra wide fit shoes and even EEE fittings. The adjustability in the zips, buckles or touch close fastenings offer the wearer plenty of options to secure and adjust their footwear.

Bee my Valentine

2012-01-18T15:32:00.000Z

Bee my Valentine - ‘Life is the flower for which love is the honey’ Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

Express the love you feel both for your partner and for honey and the honey bee with the perfect Valentine's Day gift

From time immemorial, the sweetness of love has been associated with honey, and has been expressed in poetry, prose and song, from the Old Testament to the lyrics of ABBA.

This Valentine’s Day the British Beekeeping Association (BBKA) is giving you the chance to express the love you feel both for your partner and for honey and the honey bee with the perfect Valentine's Day gift.

The £19.99 ‘Honey I Love You’ pack consists of a jar of delicious British honey, a pure beeswax candle, a miniature tin of honey lip balm and a gift card with the memorable honey quote ‘Life is the flower for which love is the honey’, all enclosed in an attractive eco-friendly Hessian bag.

The British honey bee is in trouble, under threat from the voracious varroa mite and habitat loss, with new concerns springing up all the time such as pesticide use or diesel fuel particulates, but with your help the BBKA can make a difference. 100% of the profits from your purchase will go to helping to preserve the British honeybee population through funding research, beekeeper training and breeding programmes.

To support us further, you could adopt a beehive for only £32.00 per year. As well as guaranteeing that you have helped fund honeybee support schemes, you will receive an Adopt a Beehive gift pack containing either a jar of British honey or a jar of honey mustard, a welcome letter from BBKA President, a packet of wildflower seeds to help feed the honey bee and other pollinators, a delightful set of bee notelets, a Pocket Guide to the Honey Bee, and a lip balm and 10% discount voucher on products from our sponsor, Burts Bees. Plus you receive seasonal updates from your adopted beekeeper and our newsletter, Hive Talk.

Both packs are available to order from http://www.bbka.org.uk/ or you can order by phone on 0845 680 7038.

Breathe Fire into Chinese New Year

2012-01-18T12:43:00.000Z

This Chinese New Year it is time to unleash the luckiest sign of the Chinese zodiac - the dragon.

Celebrate Chinese New Year on January 23 with friends and family and add fuel to the fire with a sizzling Oriental banquet and a little help from the leading Chinese and Oriental food supplier, Wing Yip.

Wing Yip has some great recipe ideas and tips for hosting an Oriental banquet to welcome Chinese New Year of the Dragon, as well as further information on Chinese signs of the zodiac and amazing dragon facts for Chinese New Year.

Mr Wing Yip, founder of Wing Yip, said: “The UK has a thriving Chinese cultural heritage and it is fantastic to see communities coming together to welcome in the Chinese New Year of the Dragon.

“The occasion will be marked with colourful festivals and street parades and whether entertaining friends by cooking Oriental treats at home or ordering a takeaway, the cuisine is an integral part of the festivities.”

For those who want to celebrate and treat family and friends at the table during 2012 Chinese New Year, then Wing Yip superstores offer a whole host of authentic products and ingredients, from fresh lobster to packs of noodles, table decorations to hampers.

Mr Wing Yip continued: “Today, Chinese food is more popular than ever in the UK. People are becoming more adventurous with food, looking for new ideas and inspiration, preparing and creating dishes to share with family and friends.”

Much more than a supermarket, shopping at one of Wing Yip’s four UK superstores, provides a culinary experience with shelves stocked with ingredients and authentic products never before seen in western shops.

Everything you need for a Chinese New Year celebration including Chinese lanterns, Oriental beers, wines, chopsticks and tableware, is also available online from http://www.wingyipstore.co.uk/, or, from Wing Yip superstores.

Wing Yip superstores are located in Birmingham, Manchester, Cricklewood and Croydon and each stocks over 3,000 items from noodles, teas, chop sticks and even chicken feet.

For more information visit http://www.wingyipstore.co.uk/

Google Launches A New Form Of Social Search Called 'Search, Plus Your World'

2012-01-18T12:38:00.000Z

Google's philosophy from the very beginning was to create the perfect search engine, and according to it's founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin this will involve a search engine that “would understand exactly what you mean and give back exactly what you want.”

With many changes happening every year, Googles first big announcement comes in the second week of the year, with the introduction of it's new social search initiative called 'search, plus your world'.

The new features bring personal results from Google+ to be fully integrated into the search engine results pages (SERPs). With a simple click of a button users can either include or remove the relevant profiles, posts and pictures from friends within their circles, a powerful advantage given to Google+ over Facebook,Twitter and other social networking websites, say QueryClick.

From today onwards, when carrying out a search within Google, the searching experience for many will be drastically improved with the introduction of privately shared content from friends and family mixed in with other material from all over the internet in every search.

Another feature introduced by the new social initiative is the ability to view profiles both in auto complete and the search results. Therefore improving the searching experience for finding people. Once the person has been discovered, it's now possible to interact from within the search results and allow ability of adding that person to your own Google+ circles.

A spokesperson from search engine marketing company, QueryClick, comments:

“The introduction of search, plus your world is great news for everyone who uses search, but it is currently only restricted to Google+ users. And although Google+ has reached around the 62 million users in a relatively short period, many searchers may not be impacted by the new changes introduced.”

“But overall, the new features will be greeted with great applause and will be sure to help bolster Google and their goals of creating a successful social media site platform.”

It's will only be available for those signed into Google.com and searching in English, and will begin to be visible within the next few days for everyone.

Corruption: Questions shareholders should be asking at the AGM

2012-01-14T14:35:00.000Z

News that The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) yesterday managed to win a civil recovery order against the principal investor of a company that had admitted corruption should come as a major wake-up call to investors and shareholders, say business risk experts Interchange – http://www.interchange-solutions.co.uk/

The shareholder is now required to pay back dividends gained as a result of corruption in Iraq bridge-building contracts. The SFO took action in the High Court, which subsequently led to an order for the company, Mabey Engineering (Holdings) Ltd, to pay over £130,000 in recognition of sums it received through share dividends derived from contracts won through unlawful conduct.

“This is a very significant move by the SFO which should finally start to have investors asking searching questions of the companies in which they are investing or have already invested,” says John Burbidge-Kind, CEO of Interchange. “This is the first time that the SFO has attempted to recover the proceeds of crime by targeting dividends paid in the UK. It sets an enormous precedent for investors and is even being reported that such action could hit pension funds if applied to listed businesses.”

“Shareholders and investors in companies are obliged to satisfy themselves with the business practices of the companies they invest in,” said Richard Alderman, Director of the SFO. “The SFO intends to use the civil recovery process to pursue investors who have benefited from illegal activity. Where issues arise, we will be much less sympathetic to institutional investors whose due diligence has clearly been lax in this respect.”

This action by the SFO follows recent reports that the Government plans to make shareholder remuneration votes mandatory in an attempt to curb excessive executive pay. “We may be seeing a very different relationship developing between company boards and their investors,” says John Burbidge-King.

For shareholders now concerned about their investment portfolios, Interchange has collated just a few questions that they might be asking of a company board at this year’s AGM:

• Has the company conducted a formal risk assessment of both the impact of bribery and the Bribery Act 2010, and what measures has it taken to mitigate that risk?

• Is the Audit Committee, or any other appropriate board committee, briefed? And does it understand the nature of the risks? Have members been trained to ask the right questions of the executive directors and management?

• Exactly who in the company has taken on the responsibility for ensuring compliance with the Bribery Act?

• Are you aware of any bribery or corruption that has taken place in the business in the past three years?

• Have any of the directors or agents in the business been involved in bribery in the past?

• Does the company engage with agents overseas, and if so how sure are you that they are not involved in bribery?

• Does the company have adequate procedures in place to prevent bribery as set out in the Ministry of Justice Guidance, and by now if not why not?

• Are there formal policies in areas such as Gifts and Hospitality and proper records kept?

• Is the company prepared for an external investigation by the Serious Fraud Office that will include all financial records including records and authorities for the payment of all agents and those “associated persons” acting on behalf of the company?

• Will the company’s insurers cover the costs of an investigation, and in the worst case the defence?

“The AGM represents a prime opportunity for stakeholders in the business to ask direct, face to face questions of the directors responsible for governing the company,” adds John Burbidge-King. “The act of bribery and corruption itself is damaging enough if found guilty by the authorities, but the worst case scenarios demonstrate that the financial fallout goes a long way beyond direct penalties and will impact on the share price; honest investors dislike dodgy dealings and companies that do not hold up to scrutiny often find their share prices in free fall as a result.”

Canadian-British billionaire Victor Dahdaleh will today appear before a court in connection with fraud allegedly perpetrated against Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C., also known as Alba. The state-owned aluminium smelter claims that Dahdaleh and others bribed senior officials to overpay for millions of tons of raw material.